The Minnesota Timberwolves had a decision to make last summer, with multiple players hitting free agency and due for a pay raise. They chose to bring back Julius Randle and Naz Reid, letting two-way wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker walk in free agency. Looking back, that appears to have been a mistake.
At the time, the rationale was fairly easy to track. Given the large sums of money owed to Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, the Timberwolves decided that they needed to stay under the second tax apron. That would allow them to avoid the most punitive restrictions on their spending and team-building.